Chapter 33

                                    

                                          
Liana craned her neck, looking for any sign of her wolf as her father pushed the wheelchair out of the hospital doors. During her admittance, she hadn't seen him at all. But, somehow, Liana knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he hadn't left her behind. Conner wouldn't do that. 
From her position in the wheelchair, Liana couldn't see much. She definitely didn't spot him. Yet, something warm and cozy near her heart reassured her that Conner had never walked away from her.
Her father definitely must have done or said something to scare Conner off. He wouldn't say anything about it, and that in itself was fishy. Liana's father had never had a problem ranting about shifters before. So why wouldn't he mention the one that Liana had fallen in love with? Guilt? Liana wagered that was exactly what kept his lips sealed and his defenses up. 
Fine. Whatever. He wouldn't tell her where Conner was, so Liana refused to speak a word to her father. If he wanted to be unreasonable, she could be unreasonable, too. 
Her father reached out a hand to help her out of the wheelchair. 
Liana swatted it away with as much force as she could muster. "I can do it myself."
"You're hurt, Liana. Let me help you." Her father reached out again. 
Liana shied away from his touch. "Your help isn't helpful at all."
Her father's help had pushed Conner away. Her father's help had the potential to kill her, should it break the mating bond that had already been sabotaged. Liana didn't want to die. Her father didn't seem to care about the gravity of the situation. Nor did he seem to care about how much she loved Conner. 
Liana's wrist ached when she used it, but she refused to give in to her father. With all her strength and all her stubbornness, Liana rose from the wheelchair and stumbled toward the car. Her ribs still sparked with pain every time she moved, but that wouldn't stop her. The sooner she healed, the sooner she could get back to Conner. 
Liana didn't know why she thought that healing meant Conner's return, but she couldn't shake the thought, no matter how hard she tried. 
Bit by excruciating bit, Liana pulled herself into her father's SUV. 
Her father shut the door after her. 
Liana took time to look around the parking lot again, but still she saw no sign of Conner. He wouldn't have gone back to the res, Liana was certain about that. So where was he hiding? Why was he hiding? She needed him near, or the mating bond would snap. 
No, that was just an excuse. 
Liana needed him near because she wanted it. Desperately. Being away from his side was hurting her as much as her wounds and injuries. If this ordeal had taught her anything, it was that she should have admitted her feelings for Conner sooner. To want to protect him at the cost of her own life meant only one thing. Liana had fallen in love with him, and she would not soon cast him aside. 
Her father settling into the driver's seat snapped Liana out of her inner turmoil. What if Conner couldn't find her after she left the hospital? Was the bond healed enough for Conner to track it? Was that even possible?
Calm down. Don't panic. Trust your shifter. Liana closed her eyes and took a breath as deep as possible. Conner always had a plan. This wouldn't be an exception. 
Thus, she settled in for a long, quiet ride. 
Quiet, it was, as her father miraculously didn't try to restart a conversation. All for the better. Liana didn't want to talk to him either. 
The SUV didn't stop until it resided safely inside the all-too-familiar garage attached to Liana's parents' house. Liana was halfway to the ground before her father had the time to shut off the vehicle. 
"Liana, wait!" Her father leaped out of the driver's seat and rushed to circle the front of the car. "You'll hurt yourself again." 
"I'm fine." Liana slammed her car door shut and shuffled around her father's outstretched hands. 
Her father heaved a sigh. "You're not fine. Don't act all high and mighty." 
"I'm not." 
She was just peeved. Angry that her father hadn't even tried to get to know Conner before he ran him off. But then, deep down, Liana had always known he would react like that. It was the entire reason that she tried to push Conner away. Because she had also known she wouldn't be able to choose between them once she caved. 
She had known, and she had been right. 
Liana didn't care what her father thought. She would get back to Conner, one way or another. No matter what he said. Because she loved Conner and nothing would change that. 
Her mother waited on the other side of the garage-to-house door, which Liana threw open a bit too violently. 
"Oh, sweet baby, are you okay?" Liana's mother rushed forward to check Liana from top to bottom. 
Already agitated, Liana stood still until her mother had finished. Then she shoved her way past. "I'm not okay. I'm being restrained by a tyrant."
"What?" Liana's mother turned to send a questioning glare at her father, but Liana didn't care. 
The healing burns ached. Her ribs couldn't take much more standing up. She wanted nothing more than to be alone so she could exhale some ofher anger in the form of a scream. 
"She's brainwashed," Liana heard her father tell her mother. 
Liana stopped and debated her words for a mere three seconds. "Maybe I'm not brainwashed. Maybe I actually fell in love and you're just prejudiced." 
Then, having had the final words, Liana stomped to her room. A bad decision, really, the stomping. It only agitated her injuries. But it had been worth it. Her father had to see that she was an adult and could make her own decisions. 
Liana's decision would always be Conner. 
Her door didn't have a lock, but Liana didn't care. She shut it tightly and hoped that no one would bother her. She had run out of argument energy. 
Flopping on the bed in her condition seemed like a bad idea, so instead Liana crossed to her windowseat. She had spent many evenings curled up there, watching out the window. Maybe reminiscing about those times would calm her frazzled head. 
Liana leaned her temple against the cool glass and, for a moment, closed her eyes. The sun had almost set and the streetlights had turned on, each illuminating its own path. 
It wasn't in the streetlights that Liana found comfort, once she opened her eyes. Rather, it was beyond them in the shadows. Directly across the street from her parents' front door. 
There, partly hidden but conspicuously visible, Liana found a shadow too tall and broad to be a human. In the last vestiges of sunset, a pair of golden eyes glowed. 
A smile split Liana's face. She had known that Conner wouldn't leave her. And there he stood. It had to be him. She was sure of it. 
Was he okay? Had he survived whatever had been planned to hurt him? Liana leaned into the windowpane, as close as she could get to the out-of-doors. 
Not hurt. The words reverberated in her head, sounding suspiciously like Conner's voice. 
Liana breathed a sigh of relief. If his voice had been carried on their bond, it meant that the bond hadn't been injured in the chaos. Perhaps it had strengthened. And even if it hadn't, Conner was standing right there. Close enough that she could see him. Yet too far away. 
"What about my dad?" Liana asked the question aloud, hoping that Conner would hear one way or another. 
Those golden eyes never turned away. They only flashed once. Wait.
But she didn't want to wait. Liana wanted to fly back to Conner's arms. She wanted to run away. Yet, that would be in direct conflict with the promise that Conner had made her. He had said that he wouldn't go further with her until her father approved. But how would he make that stubborn old man approve?
Wait. The word came again, ringing a little sterner in her head. 
Liana huffed, but she didn't dare argue. Conner had a plan. He always did. This time, he wouldn't fail her. She needed only to be patient.